Welcome everyone to another preview of the Ragin Cajuns next matchup! This week, we look at the Cajuns matchup against South Alabama.
Last Week: The Cajuns got a win against in-state rival McNeese State for the first time since 1985 winning 30-22. After a major upset week one, the Jaguars from South Alabama scored only nine points in a loss to conference foe Georgia Southern.
Last Meeting: South Alabama won the last meeting in Mobile by the score of 32-25. The overall series is tied with both teams having two wins since the two teams started facing off against each other in 2012.
What to Watch For:
Home Is Where the Win Is: You look at the four meetings of these two teams and you’ll notice something interesting: whoever has been the host team, they’ve come away with the win. It’s a crazy stat and you would expect that this could change in 2016.
Was South Alabama’s Win Over Mississippi State a Mirage? The Jags started the season off on the highest of notes with a win over an SEC opponent in Mississippi State. But it seemed like South Alabama had fallen back down to earth with a loss to Georgia Southern to start off conference play on a low note. That being said, the Jags defense had a solid performance, especially with linebacker Roman Buchanan having 13 total tackles, two of which were for a loss of yardage. However, the defense got destroyed on the ground with the Eagles from Georgia Southern racking up over 300 yards. This was probably because the Jags still have to deal with the injuries on the defensive line as three of their four projected starters all are out for the year. With the talent the Cajuns have in the run game could be a big negative for the Jags.
Big Defensive Player Out for First Half: The Cajuns will be without one of their top performers on Saturday when they host South Alabama for the first half in Trev Miller. Miller, who racked up three sacks last week against McNeese, was ejected in the closing minutes of the game due to a personal foul penalty. The appeal for him to be able to play in first half was denied and will be missed for the start of the Sun Belt Conference opener and this could hurt the Cajuns on the front seven in a big way.
The Cajuns Will Win If:
The Cajuns will get the conference slate started on the right foot with a win if they can get the run game going. Again, the Jags got run over by the Eagles with their ground attack. Also, the Cajuns will need to put pressure on their star QB Dallas Davis. He had another good performance in a losing effort with 279 yards through the air, so you need to bring the pressure as much as you can, especially early on with Miller being out for the first half.
The Jags Will Win If:
The Jags will be able to turn their fortunes around if Dallas Davis can get things done against the Cajuns defense. After one week of footage with the Cajuns under new DC Mike Lucas, the Jags can be somewhat prepared for what McNeese saw. The 4-3 defense was a great look for the Cajuns against McNeese, especially with the amount of time they had to adapt to the new system that Lucas introduced. But the jury is still out on the secondary because the Cowboys didn’t throw it nearly as much as Boise State did back in week one. The Jags seem to be a pass happy team, so if Davis can get going through the air, they will come away with a win.
-Clint Domingue